Former President Joe Biden cancels planned appearance at Philadelphia Democrats' pre-primary gathering

Sam Janesch, The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 8, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — Former President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak Friday in Philadelphia at a gathering of the city’s Democratic officials and party faithful but said before the event he would be unable to attend.

Democratic City Committee Chair Bob Brady, in an email to attendees Friday afternoon, said he spoke with Biden and that the former president “guaranteed a rain check for everyone planning to greet” him.

Brady did not provide a reason for the cancellation but said staff were “working to find a date in the near future,” according to the email obtained by the Inquirer.

Brady, whose two-decades in the U.S. House overlapped with Biden’s Senate tenure and vice presidency, was expected to read prepared remarks from the former president in lieu of his appearance at the party’s “spring dinner,” where hundreds of Democrats were set to converge at the Sheet Metal Worker’s Union Hall less than two weeks ahead of the May 19 primary.

Biden’s appearance would have been a rare public showing for the former president, 83, who underwent radiation treatment for prostate cancer at Penn Medicine in October.

While some in the party have blamed him and his team for President Donald Trump’s win against former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Biden has largely stayed away from campaign events. He made his first endorsements in the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections last week — announcing his support for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Georgia gubernatorial race, and Dan Koh in a Massachusetts congressional race.

It was not clear whether Biden would have made any endorsements in Philadelphia ahead of the Pennsylvania primary, which includes a rare and competitive race for Congress in the city.

State Sen. Sharif Street, State Rep. Chris Rabb and physician Ala Stanford are competing in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in the deep blue 3rd Congressional District, which covers half of Philadelphia.

Evans has endorsed Stanford while Rabb has attracted support from prominent progressives, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Street, a former state party chair, has the backing of a large portion of the city’s Democratic committees and local leaders like Mayor Cherelle Parker, who was expected to attend the Friday dinner.